Overview
- The regular season ended on Sept. 27 and MLB confirmed the 2026 postseason bracket, locking in 12 playoff teams and the Wild Card pairings.
- Wild Card play starts Tuesday, Sept. 29 with best-of-three series hosted entirely by the higher seed and scheduled to run through Oct. 1.
- The Wild Card matchups are Yankees vs. Red Sox, Astros vs. White Sox, Braves vs. Phillies, and Padres vs. Cubs, with winners advancing to the Division Series.
- New York named Cam Schlittler to start Game 1 in the Bronx while Boston will open with Payton Tolle, and Aaron Judge’s availability remains under active evaluation because of a calf injury.
- Top seeds Milwaukee (103-59), Los Angeles (Dodgers), Tampa Bay (Rays) and Cleveland (Guardians) receive byes to the Division Series, a setup that has renewed calls during CBA talks to reseed playoffs so matchups better reflect regular-season records.